NEWPORT (Shropshire): The Newport & District Pool League, one of the most popular of its kind in the Midlands, gets underway next Wednesday evening (October 29).

A capacity 18-team field will do battle over 34 weeks and the season reaches a climax on Wednesday, July 8th with the Neil Clark Memorial Trophy final and official league prize giving at the Royal Navy Club.

Market Drayton’s Stag won last year’s league by an impressive seven points and also won the Neil Clark Memorial Trophy in a tie–break frame. They start as favourites to claim the league title again and have a settled side for their first week visit to Junction A in Norbury.

Honeysuckle are the league newcomers on this occasion. Captained by landlord Andy Bowsher, they welcome the likes of former Shakespeare A player Ross-Richards Jones and Marcus Thomas to the new team and replace the now defunct Royal Navy Seals. The ‘Suckle face a tough opening match at home to last year’s runners-up LSC at the Tav.

Matches, as per a Newport tradition, are fought out over four singles and two doubles frames and are played to Old English EPA rules and take place on Wednesday evenings from 20.30hrs.

The league has been organised and promoted by Neil Perkins of NDP Publicity Services since the end of the 2006-2007 season when there were just nine teams.